Ambient Rhythm is updated on Tuesday and Friday
Well, Minami was fantastic - there was an awesome selection of anime, from new to old, so I got to watch Patlabor TV as well as Ouran Host Club and Gurren Lagann, both of which, to my shame, I had not managed to see before. It was also good to check out some less well-known stuff like Baldr Force and Zaion. We came away with an awful lot of anime, both from the dealers' room and from a very special charity sale. Earlier this year, one of the longstanding members of the con committee, Ewan Chrystal, died - the whole convention was, in a way, in his memory. His family gave permission to sell his collection of DVDs, which was pretty extensive, and which made up that charity sale. Overall, the convention raised upwards of £4000 for the British Heart Foundation. I am both pleased to have been able to contribute to that, and sad that it was necessary - I remember Ewan, and he was lovely and a core part of the committee. Without him, I don't know if there would still be a Minami; the anime scene in the UK owes him a lot.
Other than the anime, I also enjoyed the takoyaki making (I watched - there wasn't enough room for everyone to make, but I did get some to eat and they tasted really good, much like the takoyaki do in Japan or maybe - maybe - better) and the general atmosphere was awesome. I got to meet and chat to lots of people I don't often see except at cons. There's a small selection of photos here, including some excellent cosplayers. The masquerade was superb, especially some of the skits. It's a real art, doing a good masquerade skit, but I thought the cosplay fighting guys, the Saint Seiyas and the CSI Minami groups all did a pretty good job. Of course, there were the usual silly prize categories. I do like Minami ^^
- Sun Kitten, 31st March '09
Well, Minami was fantastic - there was an awesome selection of anime, from new to old, so I got to watch Patlabor TV as well as Ouran Host Club and Gurren Lagann, both of which, to my shame, I had not managed to see before. It was also good to check out some less well-known stuff like Baldr Force and Zaion. We came away with an awful lot of anime, both from the dealers' room and from a very special charity sale. Earlier this year, one of the longstanding members of the con committee, Ewan Chrystal, died - the whole convention was, in a way, in his memory. His family gave permission to sell his collection of DVDs, which was pretty extensive, and which made up that charity sale. Overall, the convention raised upwards of £4000 for the British Heart Foundation. I am both pleased to have been able to contribute to that, and sad that it was necessary - I remember Ewan, and he was lovely and a core part of the committee. Without him, I don't know if there would still be a Minami; the anime scene in the UK owes him a lot.
Other than the anime, I also enjoyed the takoyaki making (I watched - there wasn't enough room for everyone to make, but I did get some to eat and they tasted really good, much like the takoyaki do in Japan or maybe - maybe - better) and the general atmosphere was awesome. I got to meet and chat to lots of people I don't often see except at cons. There's a small selection of photos here, including some excellent cosplayers. The masquerade was superb, especially some of the skits. It's a real art, doing a good masquerade skit, but I thought the cosplay fighting guys, the Saint Seiyas and the CSI Minami groups all did a pretty good job. Of course, there were the usual silly prize categories. I do like Minami ^^
- Sun Kitten, 31st March '09
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